Step 3: Welding & Final Cleanup

Step 4: Presentation

The end result of this 2 hours of work and roughly $15 in materials is a very robust pair of industrial, minimalist planters. For now I have them pai...

I had a piece of 14 gauge mild steel left over from a welded table project I completed late last year, and came up with the idea that the scrap could be put to good use by creating a pair of complementary steel planters. The total build time for this project was just under two hours, and the finished product proved well worth that minimal investment.

This is the first project I welded at TechShop (www.techshop.ws) which truly has a superb welding setup as you'll see in some of the pics.

Step 1: Design & Layout

Nothing elusive here. The piece I had on hand was just under 10" wide x 80" long. I already had a vision in my mind of the tall, rectangular shape I wanted so I did a few quick calculations and found the best yield I'd be able to get from my piece would be two planters, 5-3/8" wide x 4-3/8" deep x 18" tall. I marked the metal as such using a framing square and Sharpie and was on my way.

Cut List

4 pieces: 4-3/8" x 18" (sides)

4 pieces: 5-3/8" x 18" (front & back)

2 pieces: 4-3/8" x 5-3/8" (bottom)

Step 2: Cutting & Preparation for Welding

Using a plasma cutter and the framing square as a straight edge I cut out the pieces using the Sharpie guidelines measured out in the previous step. Then to prepare the pieces for welding I used a 4-1/2" grinder with a sanding disc to clean up the sharp edges created during the cutting process.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Plasma cutters are awesome. If you've never used one before then I highly recommend finding a friend, business, or co-op that will let you experience theirs. You'll never look at metal the same once you realize you can cut through it like a hot knife through butter using this invaluable tool.

About This Instructable

Bio:An electrical engineer by trade and a creator by DNA, Monolith Fab is my outlet for a creative addiction a long time in the making. My love for building things with my hands started at an early age w...read more »